


am i alive and well or am i dreaming dead

by nightsickness



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - High School, Character Death, Falling In Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-05
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-02-28 05:12:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2719946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightsickness/pseuds/nightsickness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You shouldn’t be able to see me. I’m dead.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This probably won't be more than five chapters long. Just something I pulled together at lunch. I don't know if many people will like this.
> 
> Title from Taxi Cab by Twenty One Pilots.

“This isn’t supposed to be happening,” Tyler talks to himself. He looks around the inside of the school building. Everything is gray, including the couple of students standing by their lockers and his own body and clothes.

“I’m not supposed to be here,” Tyler mutters. “What is happening…”

“Hey, you okay?” someone asks rather loudly. Tyler’s eyes shoot up. A boy is standing there; a boy with a mow-hawk and a nose ring. _He’s rather cute_ , Tyler thinks to himself.

“Me?” Tyler points at himself then averts his eyes from the boy to look around. No one else is looking at the boy, so he _must_ be talking to Tyler.

“Yeah,” the boy frowns a little, “you were freaking out about something. What’s wrong?”

Tyler blinks, and then realizes, _really realizes_ that this boy shouldn’t be able to see Tyler. Tyler’s _dead,_ Tyler’s gone, he’s not supposed to be here, what’s happening, what –

“Hey!” the boy shouts. Tyler stops and looks at him. He seems frantic about something. “You – you had a crazy look in your eyes, what’s going on, what – what’s your name?”

“Tyler,” Tyler says despite himself. He sounds bitter. He is. “And _you shouldn’t_ see me. I’m dead.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler looks at him with wide eyes. “You’d help me? But I barely know you.”
> 
> “And I barely know you,” Josh shoots back. “But you opened up to me, and something tells me you don’t do that often, and it’s not like I have anything else to do, so what do you say?”

The boy frowns. Then his face smoothes out. Then a second later he frowns again. “Dead?” he asks disbelievingly. Tyler offers no response.

The two boys stare at each other for a long minute.

“Uh. Okay. Uh, I’m Josh,” the boy finally offers, in a low voice. “And if you’re really dead, as you say, and I’m not supposed to see you, then that must mean _no one’s_ supposed to see you, and I probably look like an idiot right now talking to thin air.”

Tyler doesn’t speak, he just averts his eyes from Josh’s intense gaze to the floor. He’s still wearing the same shoes he’s been wearing for days.

“Let’s get out of here,” Josh says.

Tyler stares at him. “Don’t you have class.”

“I do, but who cares? English can wait for me,” Josh tells him, along with a smile. Tyler finds his lips pulling up a little, which is weird, because he barely ever smiles and he’s only just met this guy.

The boys walk together, making their way out of the school building and away from the school. They find a bench close by and sit down.

“So,” Josh wastes no time and immediately jumps into the conversation, tangling his hands together to set on his thighs. He crosses his legs and gives Tyler an intense look.

“Yeah,” Tyler breathes. “I know you want answers, I mean, honestly, who wouldn’t, but I don’t have answers. I wish I did. All I know is I got in a car accident three… four days ago? And I died. Well, I’m assuming. And everything is gray and I can’t feel anything, like, I can’t feel the air around us and I can’t feel _pain_ or even happiness and I just can’t feel _anything_.”

Tyler can hear the sharp intake of Josh’s breath. “Wow,” Josh mutters. “I can’t believe I _believe_ you, but I do. So, like, what are you still doing here?”

Tyler sighs. “I thought that maybe I wasn’t going… you know, to the afterlife, or whatever, because maybe there’s something I need to finish _here_ first. That sounds stupid, but I couldn’t think of anything else. So I came to school. I have a lot of memories here, you know? Good memories and… bad memories.”

Tyler’s holding back from saying what he really wants to say, and Josh can tell, so he urges him to continue.

“So, like, it all _hit_ me, you know? Everything just hit me all at once. No one could _hear_ me. Not even M – Mark,” Tyler’s face crumbles, but he doesn’t start crying like Josh thinks he will. He forces his face back into that always blank, stoic mask he wears, and looks at Josh.

“You could hear me.”

Josh gulps. “Yeah – I – it’s not – I mean, I –“

“I just,” Tyler frowns, “I just want to know why this has to happen! I never did anything _wrong_. I’ve always been a good person. Why does God punish all the good people?”

Josh doesn’t say anything. What the hell could he say? This guy, this complete stranger is _dead._ How can Josh offer him any sort of comfort?

“And, ugh, you!” Tyler points an accusing finger at Josh. Josh looks stunned for a moment before resituating his face.

“ _You_ shouldn’t be able to see me. I’m _dead_.”

“I don’t know why I can see you!” Josh cries. “It’s not my fault, dude, gosh! Okay, look, I’ll help you figure this out, all right? I don’t know _how_ , but I can tell that still being here is hurting you, and I don’t really like that, so we’re gonna figure something out.”

Tyler looks at him with wide eyes. “You’d help me? But I barely know you.”

“And I barely know _you_ ,” Josh shoots back. “But you opened up to me, and something tells me you don’t do that often, and it’s not like I have anything else to do, so what do you say?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler likes Josh. But not in the way you’d like a best friend. And Tyler knows it’s stupid, he does, but he can’t help it. He can’t help falling in love with Josh. Josh is perfect. Josh is the kind of person Tyler would want to spend his life with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We shall pretend this chapter is set maybe a month after the last two. So. Yeah.
> 
> This is also kind of a filler chapter of sorts, so it's very short and very useless etc. Just setting up for what's to come soon.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

Since that day, the two boys have become best friends. Josh is thrilled, because he’s never really had a best friend before. Or, rather, friends at all. Tyler is happy, too, for the same reason, and also, maybe this blue-haired drummer boy will be his ticket out of here.

Tyler supposes he’ll miss his friend when he leaves, _if_ he leaves. Josh is actually really cool. He lets Tyler sleep on his bedroom floor (Tyler didn’t even know ghosts sleep) ((Tyler will never get over referring to himself as a ghost)), and whenever he _can’t_ sleep, or if he has a bad dream, Josh will stay up with him and talk him through it and make him feel better for a while.

Tyler likes Josh. But not in the way you’d like a best friend. And Tyler knows it’s stupid, he _does_ , but he can’t help it. He can’t help falling in love with Josh. Josh is perfect. Josh is the kind of person Tyler would want to spend his life with.

But his life is _over_. He knows that. And once you’re dead, you can’t come back to life, no matter how many movies and books and television shows have been made claiming otherwise. There’s no way Tyler will ever be able to call Josh _his_. Unless Josh were to die as well. But it’s not fair of Tyler to desire that. That’s just plain cruel.

Tyler wants to leave. He wants to go into the afterlife, heaven, hell, whatever _wherever_ it is. He wants that more than he wants a lot of things. Tyler just doesn’t know what he’ll do when he leaves Josh. It’s too much to think about, so he doesn’t.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m afraid that I’ll get too attached. I can’t let that happen. It’s not going to happen.”
> 
> “It won’t,” Josh assures him. “We’ll get you out of here. I promised, and I keep my promises, no matter how impossible they are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My behavior is so unacceptable. I haven't updated this in over a month. I'm so sorry. I'm a horrible person and I'm trying to make up for it.
> 
> Turns out, recovering from back surgery is a lot harder than I thought it'd be. I've missed over two weeks of school and I have a 27% in Chemistry. Nice.
> 
> I apologize for all the shit I've dragged you guys through the past couple of months. I suck. I'm trying to fix this. Thank you for sticking with me.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

The words tumble out before Tyler can stop them. And now they’re out in the open. Josh is looking at him.

“What is ‘this’?” Josh asks, trying to make a joke out of the situation. Tyler scoffs.

“Don’t joke. This isn’t funny. Nothing about this is _funny_. I’m a ghost. I’m dead, and I’ve,” Tyler laughs, “I’ve fallen in love with you. And you know what? I can’t do it anymore. I need to find a way to _leave._ You said you’d help me, and it’s been _months_ , and here I am!”

Josh is still looking at Tyler. His mouth is slightly agape, and he has no expression on his face. Tyler almost feels bad.

“I’ve done some research,” Josh starts. “And, as it turns out, this isn’t anything like Twilight. You know, where Bella can find out everything she needs to know about vampires and werewolves with just a few clicks of a button? No, nope, this is much more complex.”

“What –“ Tyler shouts. “What the hell is complex? I need to _leave_ , do you understand me? I’ve been here for way too long, and if I stay any longer, I’m afraid that I’ll…”

“What?” Josh asks, eyes focusing on Tyler’s. Tyler has never told Josh much about himself – he usually leaves the talking up to Josh – but it’s easy for Tyler’s eyes to tell the whole story. His eyes are his weak link. They expose too much.

“I’m afraid that I’ll get too attached. I can’t let that happen. It’s not going to happen.”

“It won’t,” Josh assures him. “We’ll get you out of here. I promised, and I keep my promises, no matter how impossible they are.”

Tyler sighs and runs fingers through his already messy hair.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been… it’s hard to hold your tongue when you’re dead. I keep losing my temper and you don’t deserve that.”

Josh shrugs.

“Thank you,” Tyler says, coming closer to Josh and grabbing hold of his hand. It’s warm and soft. It’s familiar. Tyler doesn’t like familiar, he doesn’t like _warm_ and _soft_ , but he thinks this is something he never wants to leave behind.


End file.
